Operation Horror Movie
by Desbelleschoses
Summary: Sequel to Short Attention Span. After Hinata successfully spends time with Naruto, the kunoichi are determined to make it happen again. Naruhina and others. T.
1. Chapter 1

The apartment Temari stayed in when she visited Konoha was spacious; more importantly, it was the one residence where they didn't have to worry about parents. While Temari was protective of her privacy, desperate times called for desperate measures. She was willing to sacrifice some of her comfort for the sake of a friend.

Hinata was beaming. She was more animated than Temari had ever seen, and she recounted her ramen run with Naruto like it was the most important event in her life. She sat with her legs tucked underneath her, looking smaller than she was in the oversized, plush chair.

"Did he pay for you?" Sakura asked, trying to glean further details.

Hinata shook her head, admitting "Mr. Teuchi told us we didn't have to pay."

"He was probably happy to see Naruto out with someone of the opposite sex," Tenten pointed out, amused. Naruto had never been the type to date. Mr. Teuchi had known Naruto since he was a child, and, in Tenten's opinion, he had probably given up hope that Naruto would ever settle down. It wouldn't surprise anyone if he chose to live his life like his master.

"Well, what did you talk about?" Ino pressed. "What did he say?"

"Not much. He doesn't talk much when he eats." Hinata shifted in her chair. "On the way there, he talked about Sai for a bit. I don't think he likes him…"

"Welcome to my life," Sakura mumbled, rolling her eyes. Those two would be the death of her.

"He also complained that Shikamaru ditched him. I think he felt left out."

"That was his choice," Tenten argued. "No one was stopping him. He chose to be the last one to join us."

Hinata nodded. "I think he figured that out after a while. It was making me anxious, and I think he noticed. He apologized, but he didn't say why."

Sakura gave a low whistle. "Talk about a breakthrough. You should charge him for therapy."

This earned a laugh from the group, even Hinata.

"What else?" Temari inquired once she stopped laughing.

"He told me he was happy I went with him." Hinata couldn't help but blush. "He said that we don't get to talk a lot or really hang out. He sounded kind of sad about it… At least, I think he did. I don't know. Maybe I read too much into it."

"If he said it, he meant it." Sakura smiled. "That's just how he is."

Hinata smiled to herself, looking down as she inspected a lock of her hair for split ends to avoid eye contact. "We stayed at Ichiraku for a while. Mr. Teuchi was really nice and stayed open a little late. I felt guilty about that… so I asked if we could leave."

"And?" Ino arched an eyebrow.

"He said he was going to walk me home. He didn't like that there was a new moon and he couldn't really see. I think he forgot about my byakugan, to be honest. He walked with me up to the gate of our clan's property, but then he came up with an excuse to leave. I'm pretty sure he's scared of my father. I don't blame him, but I wish he would have told me instead of giving that bad excuse."

"God, what did he say?" Sakura groaned.

"He just sort of stammered. I think it was something about Kakashi-sensei needing him to walk his dogs."

Sakura put her palm to her face.

Temari turned to her friends, daring to ask, "Does he even have a dog?"

Ino shook her head. "Ninja hounds."

Trying to get the conversation back on track, Tenten turned to Hinata. "Did he make any plans with you before that?"

"Not exactly. He said that the next time everyone goes out, we should skip and get ramen instead, but he didn't really ask."

"I have to say, for Naruto, that's pretty good." Sakura crossed her arms in thought. "He's far from suave, but it sounds like he was being genuine…"

"Hell yeah!" Ino grinned and pumped a fist into the air. "Way to go, Hinata!"

"She's not done yet," Temari reminded them. "He didn't set up any solid plan, remember?"

"Easy. We just need to get everyone together again." Ino stopped to think. "We need to think of something to do that Naruto wouldn't like."

"Sakura? This seems to be your area of expertise." Tenten turned to her pink-haired friend.

"Well, we can't get everyone to go to a bar two nights in a row." Sakura's brow furrowed in thought.

Temari glanced at Hinata, deciding that helping her friend was more important than her solitude. "I'd be okay if you just come over here and watch a movie."

"Are you sure?" Ino asked. "That's a lot of people in your space."

Temari nodded. "As long as you actually leave, it'll be fine. Besides, Hinata needs our help."

Hinata's eyes shone with gratitude. "I don't know what to say."

With a dismissive wave, Temari brushed the comment aside. "We'll order in and watch something Naruto won't like. It'll be fine."

"He's terrified of horror," Sakura suggested. "So is Hinata, but she'll be going with him."

Ino pulled out her cellphone and flipped it open. "I'll let everyone know. Is seven okay?"

"Sure." Temari shrugged, accepting her fate. "Tell them it'll be on Suna's dime. I can spin it as fostering inter-village relations or something. Gaara won't mind."

"They're sure to show up for free food," Tenten agreed.

A series of sharp knocks sounded on the front door. "Speak of the devil," Temari mused, recognizing the pattern. To her surprise, the pattern repeated before she could turn the knob. When she opened the door, Shikamaru's fist fell awkwardly, having nothing to rap against.

"Dammit, woman." Shikamaru huffed, although she could easily see his relief. "I thought you'd died or something when I didn't get a call demanding that I take you somewhere." He was doing his best to seem annoyed. When Temari laughed, his annoyance became more real than feigned.

"Shikamaru Nara, were you worried about me?"

"You're such a drag," Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"No, it's sweet!" Ino exclaimed, having turned around on the couch. Her arms rested on the back, propping herself up.

Shikamaru peered past Temari into her living room, realizing that she was far from alone. This was so much worse than he'd thought. His friends were here to see him caring about something; he'd never live it down. He looked accusatorily back to the sand princess, demanding "You actually have _people_ here?"

"Fuck you." Temari turned her back on him, but the door was left open. Taking this as a sign that he was allowed inside, Shikamaru stepped over the threshold.

"Just in time!" Ino beckoned him over. "We need to get everyone here at seven. We're trying to set Naruto up with Hinata, so we're doing a horror flick and take-out. Think you can get the guys on board?"

Shikamaru turned from his teammate to Temari. "If they're holding you hostage, blink twice."

"She _offered_ ," Ino snapped, annoyed by his attitude.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell 'em. God." Shikamaru scratched the back of his head before reaching for the pack of cigarettes in his pocket. After putting one between his lips, he asked Temari, "You're really on board with this?"

Temari looked him straight in the eye and blinked twice.


	2. Chapter 2

Temari walked down the street, a stack of rented movies in her hand. The best way to go about choosing the movie would be a democratic vote; while everyone might not like the movie, at least their frustration would be on the majority rather than directed at Temari herself for choosing poorly. It was a constant learning process when she spent time in Konoha. She sometimes felt as drained as she did that one time when Kankuro kept himself awake for thirty-six hours. To quote Ino, it could be 'a lot'.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Shikamaru snapped his fingers in front of her face. She swatted away his hand. "You okay?" he asked, shaking his stinging hand.

"Fine. I'm just trying to think of how to get through this with as little trouble as possible."

Shikamaru stopped walking, and Temari turned back to see why. He studied her face as he asked, "Why are you doing all this?"

Temari paused, trying to think of a valid response. If she was honest with herself, she wasn't entirely sure. "Hinata's a good person. I think she could do a helluva lot better than Naruto, but if it makes her happy…" she shrugged.

He smirked in a way that made her skin crawl. Leaning forward, he extended his index finger and poked her shoulder; it was a rare moment when he knew he wouldn't face retaliation for being snide. "You're getting attached."

"So? I'm here so damned much, I might as well make some friends. Sometimes I want to do more than play shogi."

"We do more than that."

"Or watch the clouds and smoke."

"Don't make this into a fight."

"I'm not, but I also want to do something different every now and then. As much as I like what we do, you have to admit, it can be nice to be around people who are higher-energy."

"I wouldn't go that far." Shikamaru looked up at the sky. "But I still don't know why you're letting everyone over."

"I'm taking one for the team," Temari admitted. "It's not like anyone's parents would want that many of us over. It's just easier."

"You know this means that people will know where you stay when you're here, right?"

Temari grimaced, and Shikamaru chuckled at the look on her face. He put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around before walking again. "If you're not careful, people are going to start thinking that you're nice."

"That's not hard to fix." Temari lifted the curtain that hung over the entryway to their next destination.

The pair approached the counter, where Temari turned to Shikamaru. "What did you put the food under?"

"Nara," Shimakaru informed the employee, who disappeared into the back. When he reappeared, he had two large bags in his arms. He set them down, and Temari pulled out her wallet to pay. When she looked back up, he was gone.

"How much did you order?" she asked incredulously, eyes widening by a fraction.

"Enough to feed all of us, plus Choji and Kiba."

Temari grabbed him by the wrist and turned his hand palm-up before handing him her wallet. "I don't want to know how much this cost. Just use the money in the back pocket."

The employee returned, this time carrying two more bags. Temari paled, worried that he would go back for more. To her relief, he stayed at the counter. She did her best to ignore the exchange at the counter, busying herself by reading a flier taped to the wall, which advertised the release of the latest _Icha Icha_ movie adaptation.

"Little help?"

She turned to the counter, where Shikmaru was struggling with the load. She took one of the bags from him, and he could steady the rest. Once they were back on the street, Temari hesitated before asking, "Just tell me: is there any money left in my travel fund?"

"A little."

Temari flinched. "How little?"

"Let's just say that your highness isn't going to be living the royal lifestyle."

"Don't be an ass."

"I was being serious."

"Every time you use a title or honorific you sound like you're insulting me."

"Not all the time." Shikamaru frowned.

As they rounded the corner of the apartment building, they saw Ino sitting at the top of the steps. Shikamaru and Temari exchanged a glance before approaching the staircase. When Ino noticed them, her head shot up and her face brightened. "There you are!"

"You're early," Temari commented, stating the obvious.

"Really early." Shikamaru looked at his teammate with suspicious eyes.

Ino took the bag from Temari so she could open the door, at which point she shot back, "What, am I interrupting?"

Shikamaru sighed and walked past her, setting the bags down on the table. "Are you coming in, or what?" he asked as he removed his flak vest.

Still not sure if she was welcome, Ino stepped inside and shut the door behind her. "I thought I'd come early and help set up."

"There's not a whole lot _to_ set up," Temari mused. "Shikamaru was going to move the coffee table, but there's not much else we can do with limited space."

"There should be a futon in the bedroom closet," Shikamaru pointed out as he moved the table out of the way. "It'll fit if we move the chairs back by the couch."

"I've got it!" Ino exclaimed, happy to be of use. It was weird how she was feeling like a third wheel, and she didn't understand it. She resisted the temptation to poke around Temari's room and headed straight for the closet, focusing on her mission. The futon was cumbersome, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She set it down on the living room floor with a 'fwump,' rather pleased with herself. A glance at the clock told her it was fifty after six; in retrospect, she was glad that Temari and Shikamaru hadn't been there when she arrived twenty minutes ago. _Talk about a social faux pas._

Relief washed over her when there was a knock at the door, announcing Sakura and Hinata's arrival. Hinata looked like a scared fawn, and Ino pulled her to the couch, spouting reassurances.

"I told him that everyone was coming here to watch a movie, and the only thing he texted back was 'ok,'" Hinata rambled anxiously. "Did any of you hear from him? Maybe you, Shikamaru?"

"Nah. I don't use my cellphone for that kind of stuff," Shikamaru shrugged.

Temari sat a glass down on the counter with a little more force than necessary. "For the love of God, Nara, no one cares about your personal crap. _If_ your technology was compromised, and _if_ they cared enough to look through your texts and emails, they're not gonna find anything."

"No, they wouldn't, because I don't use it."

"For a genius, you're really fucking stupid."

"Shikamaru, do you really not use text or email?" Ino asked hesitantly, looking at her teammate with skepticism.

"This isn't about me," Shikamaru snapped, trying to divert the conversation. "We were talking about Naruto. No, Hinata, I haven't talked to him." Behind his back, Temari answered Ino's question with a dramatic shake of her head.

"Don't worry about it," Sakura assured Hinata, patting her hand. "It's Naruto. The fact that he texted you back at all is a good sign."

"What about Naruto?" Choji asked, taking advantage of the door Hinata and Sakura had forgotten to close.

"He didn't respond to a text that asked if he was coming," Ino clarified.

"Yeah, he's really bad at that," Choji mused, unintentionally lifting Hinata's spirits. The conversation was forgotten when he saw the bags of takeout on the table.

Tenten peered around the doorway into the apartment, rapping her knuckles against the door before entering, a very reluctant Neji in tow. "I hope you don't mind that I asked Neji to join us." Tenten smiled, realizing that she should have asked first.

"It's fine," Shikamaru answered, to Temari's annoyance. It wasn't that she didn't like Neji; she thought that Shikamaru was presumptuous to give a response for her. "I didn't think you were into movies, Neji."

"I'm not," he admitted when Tenten left his side to speak to Hinata. "But, I didn't have much of a choice."

"It'll be fun," Choji assured him with a pat on the shoulder.

A large, white dog bolted through the doorway and jumped on Hinata, bathing her in licks. Temari watched on in disbelief as Hinata laughed, allowing this to happen.

 _Kiba brought the dog. No one asked me if he could bring the dog. There's a dog on my couch._ She was pulled from her thoughts when Shikamaru sighed, looking at the figure standing over the threshold.

"Kiba, what's Akamaru doing here?"

"He wanted to come, too," Kiba explained like it was completely natural. "He loves scary movies." A sharp whistle caught the ninja hound's attention, and he obediently put all four paws on the ground. His tail beat heavily against the side of the couch.

"Man, you know you've gotta ask-" Shikamaru cut himself off when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Naruto. The yellow-haired ninja was clad in a vibrant set of pyjamas.

"Umm, Naruto?" Sakura probed hesitantly. "What are you wearing?"

"It's movie night, right? I thought this was a pyjama thing." Naruto shrugged as he kicked off his shoes. "I don't know why you guys are wearing your everyday clothes."

"But aren't you scared of horror movies?" Sakura pressed, looking at him warily.

"Me? What? No." Naruto scoffed and stood a little taller. "I'm a shinobi! Like I'd be scared of some stupid movie."

"Oh, my god," Ino whispered to herself. This wasn't just a plan gone wrong. It was a plan that was taken out back and shot with 100 senbon. It was a massacre, and there was no way to save it.

"So what're we watching?" Naruto demanded as he threw himself down on the futon.

A silent exchange passed between Shikamaru and Temari. Neither of them had planned on this. It was so unlikely that they hadn't bothered. Taking his cue, Shikamaru picked up the stack of movies and walked into the living room. "Well, we got a few, so we'll have to vote."

"Double feature!" Kiba suggested, and Akamaru barked his agreement.

Ino shuffled across the floor, panic in her eyes. "What do we do?" she hissed through clenched teeth, tugging on Temari's sleeve.

"Nothing." She saw that Ino needed more explanation. "We have no way of controlling him now that he's here. He won't leave with Hinata, and we can't guarantee that he'll even acknowledge her. We did this so that she wouldn't have to worry about getting his attention on her own."

"I know," Ino lamented. "But what about Hinata?"

Before Temari could answer, Sai knocked on the open door, offering a smile. He was dressed in a set of pyjamas more outrageously printed than Naruto's.

"Sai? What are you wearing?" Ino gaped, having never seen him in a color that wasn't black.

"Naruto lent them to me. He said to wear pyjamas, but I don't own any."

Ino shot an accusing glance at Sakura, who mouthed 'what am I supposed to do about it?'

"Sai!" Naruto exclaimed, waving him over. "Come on, we're gonna vote on the first movie!"

 _First?_ Temari fought to keep from groaning aloud. Shikamaru had tried to tell her that she didn't know what she'd done by inviting them over, but she assumed he was being dramatic because he didn't want to put in the effort. Well, if she couldn't beat them… "I'm going to put on some sweats," she informed her guests as she walked to her bedroom. "Ino, Sakura, Tenten, Hinata? Do you want to borrow some?" Her eyes told them to come with her, and they all picked up her signal. Temari shut the door behind them before whispering, "What the hell?"

"I'm gonna kill him," Sakura growled quietly.

Tenten turned sympathetically to Hinata. "It's okay if you want to go home. I know you don't like these movies. I'm sorry Naruto's such an idiot."

"It's okay." Hinata focused on the string pull on her jacket. "I'm just sorry you went through so much trouble."

"It's not your fault," Temari reassured her. "I should have planned for this."

"Please. Even Shikamaru was surprised," Ino countered. "There was no planning for him to be a complete dumbass."

Temari rifled through her drawers, searching for comfortable clothing. "If we go back out there dressed like this, they're going to get suspicious. Here." She pulled out some loose-fitting bottoms and handed them to Ino and Tenten, who would fit in them the best; she was worried that Sakura's slighter hips wouldn't keep them up. Sakura was handed a pair of drawstring shorts, which she could take in as much as she needed. For herself, she kept her favorite lounge pants.

"Pick whatever shirt you like," Temari offered, pulling out the drawer above. She took first pick, opting for her favorite tanktop, before letting her friends rifle through. She had just undone her obi when she heard Ino say her name.

"Umm, Tema?" Ino held up a well-worn, faded tee-shirt that she had found. The fabric was soft from wear, and she hadn't noticed anything odd about it until she unfolded it. She held the back toward Temari, her fingertip tapping the washed-out symbol of the Nara clan just below the collar.

The color drained from Temari's face. She had borrowed that shirt years ago, and she'd hung onto it because it was comfortable. That was why. They'd buy that, right?

Ino snorted at the look Temari was giving her, and Sakura laughed outright.

"Stop it," Tenten scolded, taking the shirt from Ino.

"Come on, let me wear it. I want to see Shikamaru's face," Ino insisted.

Tenten hid it behind her back and narrowed her eyes. "We're not here to meddle with Temari's love life. We're here to meddle with Hinata's."

"It's not like everyone here hasn't figured it out," Ino protested with a frown. "I just wanted to have some fun."

"Leave them alone, Ino." Sakura withdrew another shirt and shoved it against her friend's chest. "Don't make me play the Sai card, because I will."

"Whatever." Ino took the shirt she had been handed. She would have plenty of time to mess with her teammate later on, after Temari left.

Temari pulled the wraps from her hair and shared a glance with Hinata, who gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Hurry up, already!" Naruto shouted as he knocked on the bedroom door.

Sakura opened the door and glared at him in a way that sent a chill down his spine. Naruto glanced past her, having noticed that Hinata hadn't taken the same liberties as everyone else. "You know, if you want to go home and change, we'll wait."

Hinata shook her head, slipping out the door. "I think I'm just going to go home," she admitted, feeling awkward.

"Well, I mean, if you want to." The disappointment in Naruto's voice was clear.

She looked down at her feet, mumbling "I guess I could stay."

"Yeah, get over here, Hinata!" Kiba shouted. "Don't worry, Akamaru won't let you get scared!"

"Come on." Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder and steered her over to the living room.

Thinking ahead, Sakura lay claim to the smaller chair. She knew that Naruto would sit with her if given the chance. With her move, the scramble began for the best viewing spaces.

Neji claimed a seat on the couch and looked ready to fight anyone who tried to take it. He'd grabbed Tenten's wrist in the fray and pulled her with him, earning her the second seat. Sai had already been sitting on the couch, suspecting that this might happen. He beckoned Ino to join him; it would be a bit of a squeeze for four, but not anything uncomfortable.

Shikamaru had taken the large, plush chair for himself.

"Move," Temari told him, and he gave her a strange look. "Move over," she repeated, and he obliged, confused by her instigation of physical proximity.

This left Choji and Kiba on the floor, along with Naruto and Hinata. Choji had been preoccupied with the food, and Naruto and Kiba were too focused on getting Hinata to stay. None of them were pleased with the result, but they had no one to blame but themselves.

"So, what did you pick?" Ino asked when Kiba put the movie in.

" _Presumed Dead_. It's some reanimation, zombie thing." Shikamaru shrugged. "It sounds pretty cheesy, but hey, majority rules."

The film itself was, from the very beginning, gratuitous in every way. It became clear that Hinata did not like body horror. Her face was buried in Naruto's shoulder, trying to trap out even the light on the screen. Naruto sat ramrod straight, like he was watching a train wreck. He couldn't look away even though he wanted to.

Kiba lay on his stomach, completely dedicated to the movie. He'd tried yelling at the screen, but Tenten pelted him with a chopstick with alarming accuracy. She'd made him get up and bring it back to her, adding insult to injury.

Sakura watched, almost bored. She'd been a medical ninja for years now; after working in a hospital, nothing was quite as scary anymore. Sai was also unfazed, although his detachment came from an entirely different training. Ino had grabbed his knee when she jumped at a pop scare, and her fingers were digging into his skin. She was unaware of it, and he didn't seem to mind.

Tenten was riveted, repeatedly telling Neji to focus on the movie. Neji was feeling sick to his stomach, and although he tried to look out the window and avoid the film, there were only so many times a man could take a punch to the shoulder.

Temari had twisted around in the chair so that her back rested against Shikamaru's side, her legs thrown over one of the arm rests. Both of them kept gesturing at the television and whispering in harsh tones as they critiqued the movie and the poorly-written protagonists.

As time went on, they became invested in the film. The plot was at least somewhat compelling, and the series of plot twists kept them on their toes. Even Hinata had started watching.

Unable to get his master's attention, Akamaru let out a loud, sharp bark. Ino shot clean off the couch and over the back. Neji seemed frozen in place, whereas Hinata swayed and fell back on the futon. Naruto was on his feet, trying to hide his terror by being aggressive. Once their hearts stopped pounding, Kiba snapped, "Damn it, Akamaru!"

"Your dog's an asshole!" Naruto shouted, glaring at his friend.

"Oh yeah? Well, screw you. He just needs to go out." Kiba stood and walked to the door, stopping to scratch Akamaru's head. "I'm sorry, boy. I should have realized."

Tenten started to laugh at the absurdity of it all, which snapped Neji back to reality. Sai turned in his seat and leaned over the back of the couch. "You can come out now, beautiful."

Trying to maintain some of her dignity, Ino stood and walked around the couch to take her seat. Sakura couldn't help but laugh at her friend's mildly disheveled appearance.

"Damn, woman," Shikamaru grumbled, prying Temari's hand from on top of his. She'd left fingernail marks in his skin. "What'd _I_ do?"

"C'mon, Hinata," Naruto urged as he helped her sit back up, an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

Hinata put a hand to her head. "I'm okay."

"God, you people are dramatic," Kiba complained once he opened the door. Akamaru let out an apologetic whimper when Naruto and Ino glared daggers at him. Kiba stalked back to his spot and sat down in a huff before pressing play on the movie again.

Ino abandoned watching the movie, instead noticing that Naruto hadn't bothered to move his arm. She cheered internally when Hinata found the courage to rest her head on his shoulder. She leaned over Sai and tapped Sakura, gesturing to the miracle. Tenten caught on and made Neji get Shikamaru's attention, then gestured for him to make Temari look. With a tap against her leg and a point, he succeeded in showing her what Tenten wanted.

Ino leaned in so that she could whisper to Sakura. "This is a helluva lot better than ramen!"


End file.
